Description
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an endogenous steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands, gonads, and brain; it is an intermediate in the synthesis of estrogens and androgens. DHEA exhibits neuroprotective, cognition enhancing, anti-androgenic, anticancer, anti-metastatic, antiepileptic/anticonvulsant, anti-asthma, antacid, and anti-ulcerative activities. DHEA enhances working memory and cognition in clinical settings. DHEA acts as a partial agonist at androgen receptors and ERα receptors, as a full agonist at ERβ receptors, NMDA receptors, and σ1 receptors, and an antagonist at GABA-A receptors. Additionally, DHEA binds PPARα, pregnane X receptors (PXRs), and CXRs. In cellular models of cervical cancer, DHEA inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion. This compound’s antiepileptic activity potentially occurs through increasing expression of various glutamate transporters. In bronchial epithelial cells, DHEA inhibits the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), decreases levels of α-SMA, and increases levels 0f E-cadherin; it also displays bronchodilatory benefit in vivo. In other animal models, this compound decreases gastric acid secretion, lipid peroxidation, and ulcer formation.
References
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Ortega-Calderón YN, López-Marure R. Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits proliferation and suppresses migration of human cervical cancer cell lines. Anticancer Res. 2014 Aug;34(8):4039-44. PMID: 25075027.
Xu L, Xiang X, Ji X, et al. Effects and mechanism of dehydroepiandrosterone on epithelial-mesenchymal transition in bronchial epithelial cells. Exp Lung Res. 2014 Jun;40(5):211-21. PMID: 24784499.
Eleawa S, Bin-Jaliah I, Alkhateeb M, et al. The impact of dehydroepiandrosterone on indomethacin-induced gastric lesions in rats. Acta Physiol Hung. 2014 Mar;101(1):77-87. PMID: 24631796.
Engdahl C, Lagerquist MK, Stubelius A, et al. Role of androgen and estrogen receptors for the action of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Endocrinology. 2014 Mar;155(3):889-96. PMID: 24424045.
Neunzig J, Bernhardt R. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) stimulates the first step in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones. PLoS One. 2014 Feb 21;9(2):e89727. PMID: 24586990.
Espinoza J, Montaño LM, Perusquía M. Nongenomic bronchodilating action elicited by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in a guinea pig asthma model. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2013 Nov;138:174-82. PMID: 23727130.
Mishra M, Singh R, Mukherjee S, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone's antiepileptic action in FeCl3-induced epileptogenesis involves upregulation of glutamate transporters. Epilepsy Res. 2013 Sep;106(1-2):83-91. PMID: 23891458.
